What Do Your Sleep Patterns Have To Do With Intelligence?

The natural sleep patterns of people presume sleeping at night, being active during the day. However, there’s a specific type of people who always have a difficult time getting out of bed in the morning. They are what we call “night owls”.

The term night owls is used to describe individuals who tend to work through the wee hours of the night, when the majority of the normal folk are deep asleep. Consequently, night owls have a difficult time getting up in the morning.

Average brains tend to follow similar sleeping pattern. On the other hand, more intelligent brains tend to defy the norm and create their own sleep patterns. This defiance is mainly unconscious, and a result of the intelligent mind’s rejection to comply with the notion of mass appeal.

Study Of Sleep Patterns

Many studies have been undertaken, to try and understand the correlation between night owls and intelligence. And, they all seem to indicate that people with higher IQs tend to work better in the night. Also, that they have a difficult time getting up in the morning.

A study, conducted by the University of Southampton, examined the socioeconomic situation of 1,229 individuals, in relation to their sleep patterns. They found that majority of those who slept after 11 pm and woke up after 8 am seemed to have more financially satisfying and happier lifestyles.

The Downside Of Disturbed Sleeping Patterns

Before you get too excited about being nocturnal, and therefore most probably highly intelligent, you need to know that being a night owl is not all peaches. There are challenges and disadvantages that come with it.

1. Staying up late could have a negative impact on your health. Studies show that night owls, as opposed to those who go to bed early, have a higher risk of getting a heart disease. Also there’s a risk of suffering from arterial stiffness.

2. A common habit of night owls is to engage in unhealthy habits, such as late-night snacking. Because the body cannot digest food well at night, this can further impact the overall health.

3. Night owls have higher predispositions to depression and stress. Because they tend to fall asleep later than the others, sometimes even when everyone else gets up, a buzz of activities ensues around them, with noise and buzz that disrupt their sleep, making them irritable and moody. Therefore, it’s not surprising that some of the most intelligent individuals are also the most unbearable.

4. Individuals with a higher IQ tend to be more vulnerable to substance abuse. This is mainly because smart individuals tend to seek out newness, and will most likely be the very first ones to experiment on new habits. A new drug on the streets; some new brand of alcohol; a new stimulant to keep those energy levels up at night. Whatever it might be, a person with a high IQ will most likely be more willing to try it out, as opposed to a regular guy.